Senior Vice President, Transportation Planning

The Opportunity

WSP USA, Inc. is looking for a Senior Vice President, Transportation Planning for our Seattle, WA office. 

Leadership of a group of 10 -15 professionals in the area of transportation planning with unique skill sets in data analysis, traffic operations, planning and transit. This position requires organization to ensure transportation planning subject matter, technical deliverables, and programs are delivered with a level of quality that meets or exceeds acceptable industry and company standards.  Responsible for SME innovation and administration; ensuring corporate compliance with all Local, State, and Federal Agency regulations; and providing pragmatic direction to address current and future planning challenges in a rapidly-changing and complex business climate.

Your Impact

• Provides group direction and thought leadership in emerging areas of transportation planning including transit, complete streets, resilience planning, using emerging data analytics.
• Provide proactive and strategic leadership for the planning discipline and function, offering direction, expertise, and support to ensure project and work site deliverables and objectives are successfully met within the business sector.
• Oversee the appropriate use and quality of transportation and traffic data to assess modal operations and effects of vehicles, transit, non-motorized, micromobility and vehicles on transport systems. 
• Adept at guiding the use of a range of data sources including crash data, synthetic speed, volume, origin/destination, topographic maps, aerial photographs, GPS data, and other visualization tools to determine exact locations of project areas, associated physical / urban / population / economic / political sensitivities, and to uncover primary, secondary, and tertiary impacts.
• Lead larger-scale more complex transportation planning projects ensuring contributors know what they are required to do and by when, preparing and overseeing relevant project budgets, monitoring external events, tracking hours, quality and expenses, ensuring profitability and satisfactory performance, and supervising subcontractors, contract work, and employees.
• Responsible for the contribution and management of multi-disciplinary project teams in all phases of the execution and delivery of siting, impact assessment, approval and permitting for assigned business sector projects, as well as transportation planning and management projects.
• Actively foster compliance with applicable Federal, State, and Local Agency laws, policies, and regulatory requirements.
• Support the overall long-term strategy, growth, and pipeline development of Transportation Planning work for WSP in assigned area of responsibility, with a focus on opportunities in all disciplines (planning, design, strategic consulting, and program management). 
• Actively participate in pursuits including identifying opportunities and developing and implementing pursuit strategy. 
• Lead technical aspects of contract negotiation, presentations, and meetings.
• Assist with the preparation of an annual update to business tactical action plans within the specified area.
• Ensure that planning discipline certifications, accreditations, and value proposition is developed and continuously improved.
• Conduct needs analyses and client value surveys to align the planning discipline’s function with business and project strategy, identifying and addressing any skill gaps or risks within the sector business operations.
• Schedule planning discipline meetings, providing updates and recommendations to ensure that all reasonable and proper measures are taken to inculcate discipline expertise and innovation into project work.
• Serve as one of the planning discipline’s lead representatives/liaison to a variety of external entities including Federal, State, and Local Agencies, Clients, Subcontractors, industry-related groups, and various government and community entities.
• Develop and inform proposal and project scopes, timelines, pricing, and budgetary metrics.
• Interpret and summarize data, including reports and documents that result in sound planning and regulatory conclusions to minimize impacts to the community, population, local economy, and environment.
• Develop a client base for providing high level Transportation Planning services including identifying additional business development opportunities, and cross-selling of other WSP capabilities.
• Manage and provide performance guidance and leadership to assigned staff.
• Remain current in latest transportation planning subject matter, practices, regulations, and techniques. 
• Collaborate with professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide “trusted advisor” service and future ready solutions for clients.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Transportation Planning, Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, or a related field (or equivalent experience.)
• 15 + years of experience in a corporate environment working in the transportation planning field, actively engaging in general plans, specific/master plans, zoning code updates, public involvement, and regulatory compliance for a variety of client projects relating to equitable transportation development and construction, transportation demand management, mobility planning, multimodal access, surface transportation, and funding.  
• Strong working knowledge of relevant approval zoning laws, permitting requirements, notification and compliance practices, applicable Regional / State / Federal regulatory framework and the business impact upon the organization.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Tactical lateral thinking and strong analytical skills with attention to detail and prioritization of responsibilities in a pressure work environment.
• Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including senior management, clients, and company-wide staff, including those with whom no formal hierarchical relationship exists. 
• Advanced proficiency with office automation and communication software, technology, and tools used in the corporate environment.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
• Strong ability to quickly adapt to change and demonstrate flexibility to a variety of schedules and hours to meet business needs.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Master’s Degree is preferred.
• Essential professional licensure/certification specifically PE or AICP.
• Strong experience in managing the review and approval of documents and discipline-specific deliverables, certifications, processes, and plans in a multi-project environment is highly desirable.

WSP Benefits: 

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings. 

Compensation:

Expected Salary (all locations): $175,600 - $280,100

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

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